Wi-Fi networks are becoming more widely used, and many new Wi-Fi capable devices are being deployed in the home/office. Many sites, e.g., homes and/or offices, already have a gateway which supports WiFi communications. Typical installation of a new WiFi devices involves user intervention of a customer and/or technician. A WPS (Wi-Fi protected setup) button exists on some devices, but it requires the user to physically press a button on the gateway and pair it with a device. Typically, the user would need to manually enter an SSID, e.g., obtained from packing provided with a WiFi gateway, and/or manually perform other steps to configure a new device to operate with an existing gateway device.
While the SSID to which a gateway device is initially configured may be indicated on the gateway device, e.g., via a label attached thereto, users often change the original SSID to one of their choosing for added security. Thus, after being deployed in a home the original SSID assigned to the gateway may not longer be valid due to a customer resetting the SSID.
It would be advantageous if methods and apparatus were developed which allowed a new device to automatically configure at a customer premise via WiFi signaling without having to know an SSID of a customer's home network which provides access to personal data stored on devices attached to the customer's home network and without having to know a network security parameter relating to the home network used at the home for Internet or home network access.